Kyiv Botanical Garden recovered a 200-year-old tree which was part of city’s primeval forest

A centuries-old oak tree, which belonged to the Kyiv primeval forest, has been restored in the Kyiv Fomin Botanical Garden.

This was reported by Volodymyr Vetrogradsky, a Kyiv arborist and a specialist in comprehensive care and maintenance of green spaces.

What is the problem?

Many people think that trees grow on their own. Some believe they just have to plant them in the ground. Every spring, tree-planting campaigns are held in cities and villages across Ukraine.

Thousands of saplings are stuck into the ground, and hundreds of reports are posted on social media, going viral.

But the summer heat gives no chance to the trees, the ones Ukrainians count on for protection. It destroys new saplings ruthlessly and quickly. Even old trees that have already reached the groundwater through their roots suffer from it.

Ukrainians pledged to take care of any trees, especially those with a history of hundreds of years.

What is the solution?

This project is an embodiment of the unity that involved 40 Kyiv residents two years ago for a common goal of saving an ancient oak tree, Vetrogradsky says.

How does it work?

The tree grew in an oak forest, part of which was originally a city dump. Then, almost 190 years ago, the oak forest was cleared and turned into a botanical garden.

Since then, only a few trees have survived. The rescued oak is one of them.

The tree might not have been alive anymore, Vetrogradsky notes.

The arborist emphasizes the support of the botanical garden's management, and concerned citizens helped the work get carried out. Now the oak will delight present and future generations.

The treatment and restoration process of the critical wounds of the damaged oak tree took place in several stages. First, the place of the break was cleaned, then the slices were processed, and then the stem cavities were treated.

In October, the oak tree suffered rather critical crown damage caused by a hidden defect in the trunk development that was not noticed in time.

Under natural conditions, a tree with such damage would not have survived. Ukrainians did comprehensive work to organize and restore the entire crown using hand and power tools. They also leveled and prevented pathologies in the development of the crown.

As for now, a number of complex operations to restore one of the botanical garden's green highlights has been completed.

The arborist noted the contribution of Semen Oblomey, the third-year student of the biology institute, who took the first steps in treating the wound on the tree.

Semen Oblomey was killed by a Russian air strike in Sieverodonetsk on June 21. Before that, he managed to lead his group to safety.

Unfortunately, you are no longer with us because you gave your life for Ukraine. The memory of you, my friend, will live forever, Volodymyr Vetrogradsky wrote.

The names of contributors to the preservation of this oak tree can be found by the QR code on the information plate next to the tree.

Previously, the Trukhaniv Trail, an active recreation route that creates more opportunities for outdoor sports, was unveiled in the capital.